Astronomer Carl
Sagan was a great science communicator, most widely known for the
original "Cosmos"
television series.

He was also a prolific writer and in 1995 wrote
the book "The Demon-Haunted World
- Science as a Candle in the Dark" that
touches on a variety of topics, from debunking hoaxes like alien
abductions to spirituality, but ultimately serves as a passionate
argument for science and the scientific method.

What's noteworthy
is that a quote from the book has been picked up recently
all over social media, based on its description of a future
America that is eerily similar to its current state.

While Sagan
generally projected optimism, the quote talks about a possible
dystopian society, with much division, confusion, mistrust of
authority, a growing gap between the haves and have nots under an
increasingly authoritarian leadership.

Of course, you might quibble
with some parts of this based on your political leanings, but there
are even shades here of Trump's own dystopian Inauguration address.

Here's what the
inimitable Carl Sagan wrote:

"Science is
more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking.

I have a
foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s
time,

when the United States is a service and information
economy

when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have
slipped away to other countries

when awesome technological
powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing
the public interest can even grasp the issues

when the people
have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably
question those in authority

Notably, in the
chapter that includes the quote, Carl Sagan continued talking about
some American cultural debacles of that time (from his point of
view) like the TV show "Beavis and Butthead" and the movie "Dumb and
Dumber".

He uses these as
examples of the "dumbing down" of America. One can only wonder how
he would update his take on America's future if he was alive today.

You can read the
selection from Carl Sagan's book and the rest of the chapter
here.

Here's Carl Sagan
talking about the future of humanity in "Cosmos" (1980):